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Probe into SARS told of climate of fear under Tom Moyane

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Thursday, 28 June 2018 12:58

BusinessLive reports that a commission chaired by Judge Robert Nugent was told on Wednesday that a climate of fear, intimidation and harassment, accompanied by purges, characterised the SA Revenue Service (SARS) restructuring process under Tom Moyane.

The inquiry is looking into governance and administration at SARS and heard evidence in Tuesday and Wednesday about why senior and experienced employees jumped ship during the Moyane era. Former SARS officials told the commission of how their work stations were monitored by cameras and their telephones bugged. The executive officer overseeing integrity, Tshebeletso Seremane, described a climate of fear, bullying and intimidation compared to the period prior to 2014. She said the restructuring process was one of "malicious compliance" and was not conducted in "good faith". Despite being part of a workstream implementing the restructuring, she said she and other senior managers had not seen the report on the organisational redesign, but were given "presentations which showed nothing new" instead. The restructuring was at the heart of the exodus of senior staff at SARS, whose employee complement has dropped from 14,000 to 12,600 since 2014.

Former head of the large business centre, Sunita Manik, told the commission that access to large sums of money for fraudulent purposes could be the reason the leadership dismantled the centre, which was among the most significant changes brought about by the restructuring. The commission was due to continue on Thursday.